Wednesday’s Work-in-Progress: My First Poetry Chapbook Manuscript!

There came a moment this past weekend–late Saturday afternoon, to be more precise–when I saved a file on my computer and realized: I have a poetry chapbook manuscript here.

It was a pretty nifty moment for me. After attempting to write a few poems as a teenager, I’d pretty much abandoned my poetry practice and become a prose-focused gal. But about five years ago, I decided to give poetry another go. I enrolled in a number of online classes (taught by Matthew Lippman and Sage Cohen), and began incorporating more poetry into my reading practice, too.

Over these past few years, I’ve been encouraged by some positive feedback from poetry editors, and some deeply meaningful poetry publications. It’s been slow-going, however, and I wasn’t sure that I’d ever have a full chapbook (let alone a full collection) completed.

I was motivated to evaluate where my poetry stood by the impending deadline for a chapbook contest. I know that my chances of winning are minuscule. Beyond the possible merit (or lack thereof) of my manuscript, there’s the fact that I’ve already shared the contest guidelines with all of The Practicing Writer‘s readers (and have linked to them again in this post!), thereby doing my part to increase the competition (self-sabotage, anyone?). But this is a rare fee-free chapbook contest, and simply preparing the submission has been a useful learning experience for me. (Next weekend’s project: actually submitting the thing! A bit more proofreading–along with agonizing over sequencing–has to happen first.)

Sure, it’s likely that I’ll need to enter many more competitions before this manuscript becomes a published chapbook. But you know what they say about journeys–each one begins with a single step.

Any of you have experience with preparing poetry chapbooks? Any tips to share?

The best advice I ever got was in a workshop on how to submit a winning chapbook. The advice was: put your best poem first. Then, put your best poem in the middle so when the book falls open to the middle, the judge will see your best poem. Next, put your best poem last so that the judge will remember it fondly. Then, lovingly place all your best poems in the book to fill it out.

I found this advice helpful because for each poem, I had to ask myself, “is this my best poem?” and that forced me to cull the ones which, although I was in live with them, really weren’t my best ones (like “How to Grow a Cat,”–which was more about loving cats and quite silly versus being a really good poem).

I followed this advice for “There’s Jews in Texas?” and won the 2012 Poetica Publishing chapbook contest. The main complaint for my book? It’s too short! See “put in your best poems, above. I, however, like to think I’m following my mother, of blessed memory’s advice, “leave them wanting more.” Best of luck, Erica!

No tips, but a hearty mazel tov! What a marvelous accomplishment, to finish a chapbook. And I’d like to think your sharing all the guidelines–for the chapbook contest in addition to the zillion other things you share with us–earns you some serious good karma. Wishing you luck!

Congratulations! Even though I’ve made my living as a writer for these many years, I’ve always felt it takes a certain kind of courage to put your poetry out there. Good luck with the contest, and thanks for the inspiration (again).

As always, a pleasure to read of your accomplishments, both personal and professional. Good luck with the chapbook and again loved reading your published pieces. It really is inspiring to have you share your forward progress as forays into new areas as well as the experience of getting there. All the best to you!

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About Erika Dreifus

Erika Dreifus is the author of Quiet Americans: Stories (Last Light Studio), which is an ALA Sophie Brody Medal Honor Title for outstanding Jewish literature. Quiet Americans was also named a Notable Book (The Jewish Journal) and a Top Small-Press Book (Shelf Unbound). Erika is a contributing editor for Fiction Writers Review and an advisory board member for J Journal: New Writing on Justice, and she wrote the section on “Choosing a Low-Residency MFA Program in Creative Writing” for the second edition of Tom Kealey’s Creative Writing MFA Handbook (Continuum, 2008). Erika is also the editor/publisher of The Practicing Writer, a free (and popular) e-newsletter featuring advice, opportunities, and resources on the craft and business of writing for fictionists, poets, and writers of creative nonfiction.

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Quiet Americans - Stories by Erika Dreifus

A high-ranking Nazi’s wife and a Jewish doctor in prewar Berlin. A Jewish immigrant soldier and the German POWs he is assigned to supervise. A refugee returning to Europe for the first time just as terrorists massacre Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. A son of survivors and the family secrets modern technology may reveal. These are some of the characters and conflicts that emerge in Quiet Americans, in stories that reframe familiar questions about what is right and wrong, remembered and repressed, resolved and unending. Portions of the proceeds from sales of Quiet Americans are being donated to The Blue Card. Quiet Americans has been named a 2012 Sophie Brody Medal Honor Title (American Library Association) and recognized as a “Notable Book” (The Jewish Journal) and “Top Book” (Shelf Unbound).

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For nearly seven years, subscribers have welcomed The Practicing Writer, a free monthly e-newsletter that helps fiction writers, poets, and writers of creative nonfiction with their craft and business. Always listing paying publication opportunities, always announcing contests and other opportunities that don’t charge entry/application fees. Click here [HYPERLINK TO http://www.erikadreifus.com/newsletter/ ) to learn more, click here [HYPERLINK TO http://www.erikadreifus.com/newsletter/current/) to read the latest issue online, or go ahead and subscribe right now (and get a free writing-contest guide!).